Word-Filled Wednesday: Psalm 62:11

Psalm 62: 11

One thing God as spoken,
two things have I heard:
that you, O God are strong,
and that you, O Lord, are loving.

For more Word-Filled Wednesday, visit here.

Caffeinated Randomness: Kids' Rewrites

Kids Rewrite Old Proverbs

A first grade teacher collected old, well known Proverbs. She gave each kid in her class the first half of a proverb, and had them come up with the rest:

As you shall make your bed so shall you...
mess it up.

Better to be safe than...
punch a 5th grader.

Strike while the...
bug is close.

It's always darkest before...
daylight savings time.

Never underestimate the power of...
termites.

You can lead a horse to water but...
how?

Don't bite the hand that...
looks dirty.

No news is... impossible.

A miss is as good as a... Mr.

You can't teach an old dog new... math.

If you lie down with the dogs, you'll...
stink in the morning.

Love all, trust... me.

The pen is mightier than the... pigs.

An idle mind is...
the best way to relax.

Where there's smoke, there's... pollution.

Happy the bride who...
gets all the presents!

A penny saved is... not much.

Two's company, three's... the Musketeers.

Don't put off tomorrow what...
you put on to go to bed.

Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and...
you have to blow your nose.

None are so blind as... Helen Keller.

Children should be seen and not...
spanked or grounded.

If at first you don't succeed...
get new batteries.

You get out of something what you...
see pictured on the box.

When the blind leadeth the blind...
get out of the way.

There is no fool like... Aunt Eddie.

For more caffeinated randomness, visit Andrea.

Thankful Thursday 23 September

Thankful Thursday

1. I am thankful for unexpected encouragement... REALLY unexpected encouragement. There are some times when encouragement finds me, and I NEEDED it. I am SOO grateful because I know God knew in the way only He can, that I needed the encouragement badly in order to keep going. The encouragement this week wasn't like that. I'm doing okay and feeling pretty good about God's faithfulness in my job... but unexpected encouragement found me this week, and I am very thankful.

2. I am thankful for the way I arrive home. My beautiful Lexie girl (my cat) is always sitting
in the kitchen window when I pull up to my place. She immediately stands up and looks at me through the window and meows, meows, meows. My roommates and I have joked about Lexie being the "look-out" if anyone wanted to throw me a surprise party -- she always meows, meows, meows when she sees me arrive home. Then she jumps off the windowsill and greats me at the door. When I walk in the door, she continues to meow until I pick her up and put her on my shoulder and she purrs, purrs, purrs. What a blessing to feel like my mere presence makes such a difference in the life of a living creature.

3. I am thankful for warm blankets, warm pajamas, warm socks, warm showers, warm sweaters, warm tights... are you catching my drift here? Eagle has become COLD with the first days of autumn underway. We went from highs and lows in the mid-70s and mid-40s to highs and lows in the mid-40s and low-20s overnight. Such a fast change, and yet, I am so fortunate and blessed to have what I need to stay warm in different seasons.

4. I am thankful for days that fly by. I feel so blessed that God has allowed me to focus on one day at a time and not be anxious about things that aren't in my path today... but my days have been so packed full of events, children, parents, job responsibilities, Bible studies... so much that my days fly by. It is exciting!

5. I am thankful for fun pictures. I still have an old-fashioned camera that requires taking rolls of film to the store in order to be developed. Getting pictures back is like remembering and re-living the events all over again. I got pictures developed this week from Paul's Labor Day visit. What fun we had!


For more Thankful Thursday, visit Truth for the Journey.

Word-Filled Wednesday: Psalm 27:1

Psalm 27: 1

The Lord is my light and my salvation --
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life --
of whom shall I be afraid?

A few days ago, Paul and I were watching a movie of his choice together through video chat. The move was "The Simpsons Movie" and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it.

At one point in the movie, the citizens of Springfield are panicking because they see that a dome is descending on their city and they will be trapped. One scene shows a church on the same block as a bar and all the church and bar patrons run outside at the same time to see the dome descending. When they realize what is happening, all of the bar patrons run into the church and all the church patrons run into the bar.

It was a really funny idea and I laughed pretty hard, but then I was convicted by how TRUE this can be. When my world is shaken where do I turn? When the attacks of September 11th hit, churches were full, but do I always seek the Lord first when disasters strike in my life?

I think for the big disasters, I usually do seek refuge in Him, but what about the little headaches and heartaches of this world that wear me down each day? At the end of a long day, do I take pleasure in seeking the Lord?... or in allowing my brain to rest while watching an episode of Gilmore Girls? I want the Lord to be my refuge at all times and in times of trouble, I want Him to be the only place I run.

If a dome were to come over your city, where would you run?

For more Word-Filled Wednesday, visit here.

Caffeinated Randomness: Netflix

What if I received books of the Bible in the mail every few days like I do Netflix movies?

Would I be as excited to tear open the envelope and discover what book arrived today as I am to open my movies?

Would I immediately schedule a time in my calendar to offer the Bible mailing my undivided attention?

I don't let my Netflix movies sit in my hands very long, I find time to watch what they contain and send them back eager to receive my next envelop.

Would Bible mailings make a long-term home on my desk and begin to collect dust or would they elicit even more excitement?

I couldn't help but wonder.

For more caffeinated randomness visit Andrea.

Word-Filled Wednesday: Peter with a twist

This morning was a little nuts, and so I didn't have time for Word-Filled Wednesday. I figured, No big deal, I'll just make my way to the site and be an observer today instead of a participant. Well, God had a plan for a different kind of Word-Filled Wednesday to bless me today.

I have not shared much about my boyfriend Paul other than to have our picture and request for prayers in the sidebar of The Mountain Brooke, but I received this email from him regarding Word-Filled Wednesday. Consider this a Wednesday posting from both of us.

______________________________

Babe,

I went to your blog to look for your Word-Filled Wednesday... but did not see it there. So I thought I'd send you a couple of passages I read earlier today.

I know you are not my wife... but you will eventually be wed to some lucky guy so I thought this Scripture was good for you:

1 Peter 3: 1-6

Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

And I have always like this passage:

2 Peter 1: 3-11

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

_________________________________

I had read this passage from 2nd Peter after praying and asking God how I can become conformed to the image of Christ and have His righteousness in my life. And the answer was just staring me in the face: "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."

I already have everything I need... His divine power. This enables us to participate in His divine nature!! And He also gives us goals to pursue: "add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love." And He promises that these things "will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

What a wonderful promise! I hope God blesses you through these words today!

MWAH!

Paul

BTW... my response to these Scriptures from 2nd Peter are to seek ways to add to my faith goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.

For more Word-Filled Wednesday visit here.

A story in my path

I'm so grateful God put this story in my path today.  Please read and enjoy:

"A man from Norfolk, VA called a local radio station to share this on Sept 11th, 2003, TWO YEARS AFTER THE TRAGEDIES OF 9/11/2001. His name was Robert Matthews. These are his words:

A few weeks before Sept. 11th, my wife and I found out we were going to have our first child. She planned a trip out to California to visit her sister On our way to the airport, we prayed that God would grant my wife a safe trip and be with her. Shortly after I said 'amen,' we both heard a loud pop and the car shook violently.. We had blown out a tire. I replaced the tire as quickly as I could, but we still missed her flight. Both very upset, we drove home.

I received a call from my father who was retired NYFD. He asked what my wife's flight number was, but I explained that we missed the flight. My father informed me that her flight was the one that crashed into the southern tower. I was too shocked to speak. My father also had more news for me; he was going to help. 'This is not something I can just sit by for; I have to do something.' I was concerned for his safety, of course, but more because he had never given his life to Christ.

After a brief debate, I knew his mind was made up. Before he got off of the phone, he said, 'Take good care of my grandchild. Those were the last words I ever heard my father say; he died while helping in the rescue effort. The joy, that my prayer of safety for my wife had been answered, quickly became anger. I was angry at God, at my father, and at myself. I had gone for nearly two years blaming God for taking my father away. My son would never know his grandfather, my father had never accepted Christ, and I never got to say good-bye.

Then something happened. About two months ago, I was sitting at home with my wife and my son, when there was a knock on the door. I looked at my wife, but I could tell she wasn't expecting anyone. I opened the door to a couple with a small child. The man looked at me and asked if my father's name was Jake Matthews. I told him it was. He quickly grabbed my hand and said, 'I never got the chance to meet your father, but it is an honor to meet his son. He explained to me that his wife had worked in the World Trade Center and had been caught inside after the attack.

She was pregnant and had been caught under debris. He then explained that my father had been the one to find his wife and free her. My eyes welled up with tears as I thought of my father giving his life for people like this. He then said, 'There is something else you need to know.' His wife then told me that as my father worked to free her, she talked to him and led him to Christ. I began sobbing at the news.

Now I know that when I get to Heaven, my father will be standing beside Jesus to welcome me, and that this family would be able to thank him themselves. When their baby boy was born, they named him Jacob Matthew, in honor of the man who gave his life so that a mother and baby could live.

This story should help us to realize: God is always in control. We may not see the reason behind things, and we may never know this side of heaven, but God is ALWAYS in control.

Please take time to share this amazing story. You may never know the impact it may have on someone. God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures forever.” ~ Psalm 136:1"

Story found here.

Caffeinated Randomness: September 11th

September 11, 2001.

We all know where we were and we know what happened.

There is only one September 11th to most Americans over 15 years of age.

I'm the director of a preschool and my boss has asked me for copies of a number of our licenses (childcare, fire inspection, etc). I couldn't find the fire inspection and so I had to call the fire department and ask for the documentation that the inspection was done.
A few days later a fireman called me back to arrange a meeting where I could get all the documentation necessary. We scheduled the meeting for 7am Friday morning.

7am, Friday, September 11.

When I put two and two together and realized that I was meeting with a FIREMAN the first thing on September 11th, I was kind of overwhelmed. Shouldn't fireman have September 11th off or something?

What can I possibly have to say to a Fireman in the morning on September 11th? Thank you? Thank you sounds so lame, but that feels like all I have to offer.

Luckily I baked chocolate-chip cookies this week and I can only hope I have enough for their whole unit. I hope they like chocolate in the morning.

Then last night, I had a thought about God's omnipotence. Maybe I've been chosen to meet with this fireman first thing on September 11th. I have no idea what his day will hold, but first thing he will meet with me, a girl who was in 12th grade 8 years ago and who will probably not be able to get through our meeting without starting to cry out of thanksgiving for what he does. Maybe God can use my gratefulness to make this anniversary better for him.

On another note, this is my first time participating in Caffeinated Randomness, so I figure I should at least answer the host's questions in addition to writing my random thoughts:

1. I take my coffee BLACK and STRONG!
2. Chocolate over shoes, NO CONTEST! I'm not into shoes... I'm VERY into chocolate.
3. The song I'm really into at the moment is Britt Nicole (The Lost Get Found); My classic favorites include John Denver (Some Days are Diamonds, Some Days are Stone; Annie's Song; Thank God I'm a Country Boy), WICKED the musical (Defying Gravity - great to sing along!), and Stephen Curtis Chapman (The Great Adventure and Cinderella)
4. How do I look fabulous? I attribute most of it to my red hair... thanks Mom and Dad!
   
5. My favorite thing about fall is COLLEGE FOOTBALL! Specifically UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN football. I'm a timeless and true Wolverine. GO BLUE!

For more caffeinated randomness, visit Andrea.

Word-Filled Wednesday: Joshua 5:14-15

Joshua 5:14-15

"As commander of the army of the Lord I have now come."
Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence,
and asked him,
"What message does my Lord have for his servant?"

The commander of the Lord's army replied,
"Take off your sandals,
for the place where you are standing is holy."
And Joshua did so.

For more Word-Filled Wednesday, visit Lori.

Sunrise Sunset

Wednesday of this week was my first first-day-of-school as a teacher. I've been back to work since August 11, my teaching assistants started August 24, and the students arrived September 2.

I've been working pretty hard these past few weeks to put it mildly.

On Tuesday, the day before the students arrived, a fellow teacher asked me how I was doing. I said, "The sun is going to set tonight and rise tomorrow and set again tomorrow night." She responded, "OH, its been one of THOSE days."

The truth is, it wasn't one of THOSE days. It wasn't a great day, but it wasn't one of THOSE days. The "Sunrise Sunset" statement I made was simply a reminder to myself of necessary perspective.

I've been focusing on Matthew 6:27,34:

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?...
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own."

I'm repeatedly learning that tomorrow's troubles really aren't worth worrying about. Sometimes the tasks of today including preparing for tomorrow, but not by worrying about it. Around the time God was teaching me this lesson, I came upon this Corrie Ten Boom quote:

"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow,
it empties today of its strength."

By remembering that the sun will set and rise again, and God Willing, I will be alive to see it, reminds me that today I will work my hardest, try my best, love children as much as I can, inspire my assistants to the greatest extent possible, organize paperwork with the best of them, and devote myself to God and His Will for my day. God's "To-Do List" for me is much more important than my list.

The sun WILL set today and it will rise tomorrow... and everything else that God ordains will come to pass... and I can take great comfort in that... and not worry about tomorrow.

Word-Filled Wednesday: Matthew 11:28-30

Matthew 11:28-30

"Come to me all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

For more Word-Filled Wednesday visit Penny.